


The Customs of Humans

by flipflop_diva



Category: Defiance (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-15
Updated: 2013-10-15
Packaged: 2017-12-29 12:39:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1005563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flipflop_diva/pseuds/flipflop_diva
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the eve of Christie's wedding, the women of Defiance turn out to help her celebrate. But Irisa is never one to do some celebrating. Set pre-episode 1.11</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Customs of Humans

**Author's Note:**

  * For [karrenia_rune](https://archiveofourown.org/users/karrenia_rune/gifts).



Of all the things Irisa despised about humans, having to partake in their inane customs was high on her list. She hated Nolan for even making her be here, with a girl she barely knew and barely wanted to know even less, but he’d told her she had to go, make polite, pretend to fit in, whatever.

So she was here, sitting around, sipping her drink, trying to pretend she cared at all about Christie McCawley and her wedding to some dumb boy.

She didn’t, though. At all. She had thought maybe Christie could pick up on that, but humans were clueless and she hadn’t.

“Irisa!” She had called out when Irisa had arrived, standing up to greet her, trying to hug her, as though they were some kind of friends instead of just two girls who occasionally said hello, if that, when they passed each other on the street. But Irisa had seen human girls fall in love before and lose their minds. She assumed the same thing had happened to Christie.

“Hello.” Irisa had moved away from Christie’s grasp before she could be assaulted with a hug.

“Thank you for coming!” Christie had beamed. 

“Yes,” Irisa had said in response. “I am here.”

Irisa had looked around then. There weren’t many people here at this gathering. There still weren’t. A few other girls Irisa had seen around town but hadn’t been bothered to get to know. A few adults Irisa did know and who didn’t bother her too much. 

Irisa assumed Christie wasn’t the most popular of girls, judging by the lack of crowd — after all, almost every man in the city seemed to be celebrating Alek Tarr’s upcoming nuptials — but she couldn’t say she wasn’t glad of it. The less humans, or anyone, really, to socialize with, the better.

If Irisa had her way, she would be tucked away in her favorite spot, up on a roof, lost in her own mind, not bothering anyone. 

Instead, it had been a mere twenty minutes and already Irisa was bored out of her skull. She took another sip of her drink and tried not to scowl too obviously.

“Have you ever been to one of these before?” asked a voice beside her. Irisa turned at the sound of the mayor — Amanda Rosewater, her father’s latest crush (although he wouldn’t yet admit it, not to himself and definitely not to Irisa, but Irisa knew. She always knew these things).

Amanda was smiling, looking happy, and Irisa found herself hoping Amanda never actually did get with Nolan. Too much peppiness in the morning was not something she wanted to start being accustomed to.

But she forced herself to answer the question, by shaking her head. 

“No,” she said simply.

“Nor have I, I am afraid,” said yet another voice, this one quiet, gentle, soft. 

Stahma Tarr. 

Irisa liked Stahma, probably the most of any person in town beside her father and Tommy (even if her father seemed to mention at every turn not to trust any of the Tarrs). Stahma was one of those people who stood back, who observed, who watched what was going on from afar, but there was more to her than that. Irisa wasn’t sure quite what yet, but she had already decided she liked it.

“In my culture, girls do not celebrate out in public,” Stahma was saying, “but the night before their marriage begins, they sit in solitude and reflect on their past and their future.”

Irisa thought that sounded like a much better evening than the one she was currently stuck at, but the others apparently didn’t seem to agree, as they all shook their heads sadly.

“I’m very glad to get to be here with all of you, and to share this special time in my life with you,” Christie said cheerfully, and she really did seem like she meant it. Irisa wished she could share in her enthusiasm, except she really didn’t see herself ever being enthused by any type of social gathering if she could help it. And she definitely never saw herself wanting to be with someone so much she would pledge to marry them. The thought actually made her shudder.

But Christie was still talking and the other guests were all listening eagerly. Irisa kept waiting for the fun that Nolan had promised would be here to start happening, but it never did emerge. On and on the whole evening went. Minutes that felt like hours passing ever so slowly by, filled with increasingly mind-numbing conversations, presents, giggling — so much giggling it made Irisa want to cut her ears off — and, worst of all, over-the-top gushing about a boy who didn’t seem at all like he was really worth the gushing.

It had just gotten to the point where Irisa thought she could maybe duck out when she suddenly found herself alone with Christie McCawley.

“I am really glad you came,” Christie said, planting herself down next to Irisa without asking, a smile on her face.

“Nolan said I had to,” Irisa answered.

The smile flickered on Christie’s face. “Oh,” she said, but she regrouped nicely. “Well, that’s okay. It’s still nice. There are so few girls our age in town, and it would be nice to have more friends.”

Irisa glanced at the other girl.

“I don’t do friends,” she said.

Christie blinked. “But … how come?”

Irisa shrugged. “I do better on my own.”

“But don’t you ever want to talk to anyone?”

“Not really.”

“Can I ask you something anyway?”

Something in Christie’s tone was immediately different. Irisa studied her. The other girl’s smile had vanished, her face suddenly quite serious.

Irisa wanted to say no, to get up and walk away, but she found herself saying yes. Probably because Nolan had trained her to say yes. 

She instantly regretted it. Christie started talking — and she didn’t seem to have an end in sight. She blathered on, spilling out all her own fears and all her father’s worries and all her brother’s anxieties. Irisa kept finding herself tuning out entire parts of the one-sided conversation. She forced herself to concentrate.

“I love him,” Christie was saying. “I do. He is my whole world, and I don’t want to spend one more day not being with him, but my father … he keeps warning me. He keeps telling me I don’t know what I’m getting into. What if he’s right? What if I’m making a mistake? What if this isn’t the right thing to do?”

She stopped talking then, finally, and stared at Irisa. Long moments passed. Irisa had the feeling she was supposed to answer.

“I’m sure your wedding and your marriage will be beautiful,” she said stiffly.

“Do you really think so?” Christie asked.

“Sure,” Irisa said. She stood up. “I must leave now.”

Off in a corner, Stahma Tarr was watching the two of them. Irisa turned back to Christie.

“Good luck,” she said.

She didn’t know then just how much Christie would need that sentiment.


End file.
